Reviewed by Mike Rimmer

With a name like Skatman Meredith, you somehow expect something vibey, maybe hip hop or maybe some incredible jazz vocalising! What you don't expect is rootsy songwriting and performances that are mellow and evocative, deep and provocative. Meredith manages to construct moving songs that connect and intrigue. His poetic lyrics explore spiritual issues without resorting to cliche so you get the life challenge of "Fool's Game" where, in the face of eternal actions, Skatman gets his act together. The closing "Hundred Million Saints" simply paints huge word pictures that again focus on eternity with rootsy worship. It seems that he has a knack for bringing the eternal, the future, the bigger picture into the present so that the listener is provoked to wake from the sleep of present concerns. One highlight is "Great Beyond" with its swampy guitar and Hammond mixed with an impassioned plea to turn back to the essential truths and see the life of God, expressed in the experiences of past saints, seep out into contemporary culture. Another favourite is "True" which is prophetic with God declaring his grace for the unnamed recipient of the song. Overall, Skatman Meredith writes songs that deserve to be heard and enjoyed and like Matt Jones or Bebo Norman, this is timeless music that still has the power to inspire.

The opinions expressed in this article are not necessarily those held by Cross Rhythms. Any expressed views were accurate at the time of publishing but may or may not reflect the views of the individuals concerned at a later date.

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